First of all, my apologies for missing last week’s blog post – I went to a retreat with my rabbinical school early Sunday morning, and somehow it just didn’t get done. Nobody is perfect, not even me, but I’m back!
I’m writing this on Saturday night, and my mind is still full of the Torah portion I read this morning – Toldot. It is the only Torah portion in which Isaac is a main character, and even then, we don’t really get to know much about him. We do have the famous episode in which his younger son Jacob impersonates his twin, Esau, in order to receive his father’s blessing. When Esau returns from his hunt to discover what has happened, he cries out bitterly, “Have you but one blessing, Father? Bless me too, Father!”
Rabbi Shefa Gold writes about this moment of drama, “In the story of Toldot we learn of the tragedy of deception between brothers that results from the narrow belief in the scarcity of blessing. Our family is torn apart because of the conviction that only one of Isaac’s sons can receive his blessing. This system of limiting blessing and creating hierarchy is born of the belief that love and blessing are finite, that there are winners and losers.”
Esau gets a bad rap from the rabbis, but I feel that he is absolutely right here. There can never be only one blessing. Isaac does find words of love and abundance for the older twin, despite claiming at first that he had already given everything to Jacob.
In a world where extreme income inequality and homelessness are seen as an unavoidable norm, it is important to remember that scarcity is often artificial. If you are old enough to remember the Cabbage Patch Dolls and Tickle Me Ernie, you know how easily we can be manipulated into seeing others as obstacles to what we desire, rather than as fellow sparks of the Divine. When we are driven by fear of lack, we lose sight of our common humanity. That’s how fascism and racism are able to take hold, billionaires hoard resources, and millions starve.
While the Earth and its resources are indeed finite and should be treated with reverence and care, the source of blessing can never be limited. There is enough love and blessing for everyone – if we are willing to share.
I’d love to know what you think about this – is scarcity ever real, or does it always turn out to be manufactured? Let me know!
